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After seeing those two rare items, the rice, flour, pork, and cloth that followed seemed less remarkable, yet everyone still praised the generosity of Fourth son and his wife. As Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang were aligned with the Main House, Su Wenyue was not stingy either, doubling the holiday gifts sent to this location, which amounted to a considerable quantity.

“Never mind the cloth and pork, just the rice and flour alone, how much silver would you need to buy all that? They even made clothes for the kids, and it’s all quality material. How much silver would this holiday gift cost, huh? Tsk tsk!”

Everyone had seen the gifts sent to the Main House, and since Second Brother and Third Child’s families were also present, their gifts weren’t overlooked either. However, when they saw that Third House only received two boxes of mooncakes, the glances toward Han Lin and his wife became somewhat peculiar. Those in the know understood why the Fourth House gave such a gift when Third House got only two boxes of mooncakes. They whispered to the familiar faces around, passing the news from one to another, and soon everybody understood the unkind deed that Third House had committed, looking at Mrs. Wang with disdain.

“Tsk tsk, who could have guessed? Mrs. Wang usually keeps such a low profile, yet she could stoop to such petty and mean acts. If I were in Fourth son’s wife’s shoes, I wouldn’t have let it slide, but Fourth son’s wife is so kind-hearted she didn’t make a fuss over it.”

“Exactly, which is why you can’t judge someone just by their appearance. Mrs. Wang is the type who smiles to conceal her dagger, looking all soft and gentle on the outside, but inside she harbors countless wicked thoughts.”

Han Lin and Mrs. Wang were delighted at first when they saw Han Yu had sent over so many holiday gifts. Even though they were simmering with resentment over Han Yu’s official promotion, envious and bitter, they weren’t about to turn down any benefits. Who could have expected Fourth son and his wife to pull such a move? The Main House and the Second House gave so much, and when their turn came, all they got were two boxes of mooncakes. They were all brothers; why such disparity!

Feeling furious already, when Han Lin and Mrs. Wang heard the village neighbors whispering, their fury escalated. Glaring at Xiao Xi, who was standing to the side, they were reminded of the servant girl who had never been trouble-free; back when she was in the old Han family, she often fought fiercely on behalf of her masters against them. The couple decided to take their frustrations out on Xiao Xi.

“Speak up, you worthless girl! Are you causing trouble behind the scenes? Fourth Brother and our Third Brother are siblings, it’s nonsensical for there to be any distinction in holiday gifts! It’s undoubtedly you servants who messed up or pocketed our family’s share. If you don’t return what’s ours today, don’t blame us for being inhospitable!” Han Lin accused, hands on hips, not caring if it looked unseemly for a man to berate a servant girl. The crowd was ready to disperse after the excitement, but with Han Lin and his wife causing such a scene, they stopped to watch the drama unfold—even those who were on their way out returned, thinking the old Han family was just full of entertainment.

Xiao Xi hadn’t expected Han Lin and Mrs. Wang to target her, but she was unafraid. Whether it was physical prowess or verbal skills, she considered herself their equal. This couple had often tried to trip her mistress in the past, and due to her position, she had to hold her tongue. But if they were coming directly at her, she wouldn’t hold back, ready to lambast them thoroughly and reveal all their sordid deeds for everyone to hear.

Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang, seeing what Han Lin was up to, turned from cheerful to stern. On such a good day, this thoughtless pair had to cause a disturbance.

“Third Child, shut your mouth! It’s disgraceful for a grown man like you to bully a girl like Xiao Xi! The things you and your wife have done—let alone Fourth son, even outsiders can’t stand to look at you. They gave you holiday gifts out of respect, and you’re still critical. If you don’t want those two boxes of mooncakes, just have Xiao Xi take them back and stop defiling good things!” Mrs. Yang scolded, clearly irritated.

Seeing the situation, Xiao Xi knew she wouldn’t be justified in making a fuss anymore. After all, she was just a servant girl. Truthfully, she didn’t want Han Lin and his wife to enjoy those two boxes of mooncakes; feeding them to dogs would even be a better use than giving them to those ungrateful wolves. But upon hearing Mrs. Yang’s words, she prepared to take the mooncakes back. Mrs. Wang, however, wouldn’t let go of the boxes.

“We’ll take them! Who said we didn’t want them? Husband was just speaking out of frustration because Fourth son was unfair—it would be wrong not to accept gifts that were delivered specially.” Mrs. Wang said, grabbing the two boxes of mooncakes and dragging Han Lin away.

“Sheesh, what characters!” The crowd felt slightly disappointed that the issue resolved so anticlimactically, dispersing as there was no more excitement to watch.

When Xiao Xi went back and relayed the whole affair at the Han family’s, Su Wenyue just laughed it off, already familiar with Han Lin and Mrs. Wang’s behavior and making no comment.

In the two days leading up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, all the holiday gifts Su Wenyue prepared were sent out. The recipients all praised the Han Family’s ingeniousness for coming up with such a unique way to present mooncakes. Not only did they look appealing, but they also tasted delicious.

General Zhao Changping received his holiday gift from the Han Family and was immediately impressed with the mooncakes. He tried a couple and found them to be exceptionally tasty. An astute man, he quickly acquired a few more boxes from Han Yu and sent them to his superior, Commander Shangfeng, overnight.

It just happened to be Zhao Changping’s lucky break. There was a vacancy left by a Sixth Rank Commander, and several candidates being considered to fill it, including Zhao. The choice hadn’t been settled yet when Zhao presented a few boxes of mooncakes.

Commander Shangfeng, a gourmet lover, was immediately impressed by the exquisitely made mooncakes. With some friends visiting at the time, everyone agreed they were excellent, and after a generous round of praise, Shangfeng felt honored. Pleased, he appointed Zhao Changping to fill the vacancy on the spot. The extra batch of mooncakes Zhao delivered earned him an unexpected promotion, and he couldn’t stop grinning with joy.

As Commander Zhao was to be reassigned, his position needed a replacement. Grateful to Han Yu for the good fortune brought by those mooncakes, he wanted to repay the favor. Aware that it was impossible for Han Yu to leap directly to the seventh rank, he promoted one of his deputies instead, allowing the deputy to fill his role while Han Yu advanced to the deputy’s vacancy, leaving everyone greatly satisfied.

The deputy also stumbled upon great fortune, and with specific instructions from Commander Zhao before his departure, he took good care of Han Yu.

That morning, as Su Wenyue ate, she noticed her morning sickness had suddenly subsided, and her mood was exceptionally pleasant. When Han Yu returned with a glow of happiness, letting her know that he had been promoted from eighth to seventh rank in one go, she was overjoyed. She immediately instructed the Kitchen to prepare several special dishes to celebrate, marveling at what a lucky day it had turned out to be, filled with continuous happy news.